No one ever accused Sendak, who died Tuesday at 83 after suffering a stroke Friday, of being ordinary. His works, especially the groundbreaking 1963 “Where the Wild Things Are,” brought picture books into a new realm. There’s a reason it remains a staple on children’s bookshelves going into a third generation.

“It’s a steady seller,” said Rachel King, the manager of The Little Book House in Albany. “It’s one of the quintessential books people want in their kids’ lives.”

The tale centers on the mischief-making, wolf suit-wearing Max, who after being punished and sent to his room goes on a voyage through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are. When he returns, he finds his supper. And it is still hot.

“It just addresses the most basic thing kids have a fear of: monsters,” said Melissa Steen, owner of I Love Books in Delmar. “And your parents will still love you. You will still get dinner.”

Discussing picture books for children ages 2 to 6 or so, experts interviewed said that if you were to prune a child’s library to a dozen or so books, Sendak’s classic would make the list.

After that, there is jockeying, a matter of individual tastes and subjective rankings among the classics and some newer books.

Interesting that among four experts interviewed, none would include the omnipresent Margaret Wise Brown classic “Goodnight Moon” (1947), although they acknowledge that many a parent would. “People would insist on having it,” Steen said. “It’s the law.”

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” (1955, Crockett Johnson) would certainly be on the list. Another unanimous selection: The munching, morphing 1969 Eric Carle picture book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Of course, Dr. Seuss would be represented: “Green Eggs and Ham” (1960) got the nod over “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” (and a dozen other options).

There are dozens if not hundreds of options to fill the remaining spots.

Stephanie Anderson, a library assistant at Troy Public Library‘s Lansingburgh branch, said there are new classics dotting the shelves, waiting to be discovered by parents for their kids. But she understands the allure and importance of the recognizable, and how choosing only a select few is difficult.

“Most of the ones that have been around 20-30-40 years,” she said, “there is something unique about them.”

For starters, like Maurice Sendak, none are terribly, supremely ordinary.